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Think outside the icebox and chase away the winter blues. These tips will help fire up the endorphins and help you stay happy, fit and healthy this winter.

Get out of the house and take a class. Many facilities offer punch card systems or month-to-month memberships. There are an abundance of group fitness classes out there ranging from Yoga, Pilates, Bootcamp, Hip-Hop Cardio, Indoor Climbing, Boxing, and Indoor Cycling classes. It can be very energizing to exercise with a group of people. And you might be less likely to slack off when you’re sweating away with a group of like-minded folks.

Hit the Iron. Weight training is the best way to build lean muscle and change the appearance of your physique. Sure, cardio is great, but the lean muscle you develop will help you burn more calories and melt the fat. And ladies: don’t worry about “bulking up.” Women don’t have enough testosterone in their body to build insane muscles. So, hit the weights!

Buddy up. Find a workout partner who matches your drive, fitness level, and is serious about working out. It’s harder to blow off a workout when you know someone is counting on you. Or, if you want to learn a new exercise routine or work on specific sports training, buddy up to the professional expertise of a certified personal trainer.

Plan for Motivation. Find a late winter or early spring athletic event. Sign up. Pay for it. And start training for it NOW. It will give you the motivation to get out there and train. Track it on your calendar and create a training plan to prepare for your early season recreational endeavor.

Purchase new workout clothes. Sure, you can workout in a pair of beat up sweats and baggy t-shirt with armpit stains. But I find that when I wear flattering and colorful athletic clothes to the gym, it picks up my mood during the dreary winter days and gives me an extra push to workout harder. And I’ll admit, it’s silly, but the thought of putting on a new pair of exercise pants, new shoes, or even a new pair of socks makes me a little more giddy about going to the gym!

Create a New Exercise Soundtrack. New music can create a new attitude about exercising. Check out exercise/workout forums online (there is typically a thread created where users share their favorite workout songs), or “Hot New Releases” and “Best Sellers” on iTunes or amazon.com for ideas.

Go on a Virtual Ride. If your preferred form of exercise is cycling, turn your indoor cycling session into a virtual ride. For a small fee, The Sufferfest offers 60-minute structured training videos featuring fun music and motivating footage. Ride the 2009 Paris-Roubaix, bomb through a downhill mountain bike course, and take a jaunt through luscious single-track. Videos may be downloaded to your iPod, iPhone or laptop. (Caution: videos may cause motion sickness). Check out the Indoor Cycling Resource tab for a list of links to play lists and pod casts.

Create a Workout Ritual. It can help get your head in the game, and you’ll be less likely to blow off your workout. Your ritual could range from eating a standard preworkout meal (for me, it’s 100% oats mixed with chocolate protein powder), to listening to your “theme” song, or just enjoying a cup of Peace Coffee at home or your desk before hitting up your workout.

Take it Outside. The Winter season is the perfect time to explore a new sport, and many outdoor exercise options await us! Perhaps this is the year you deck out a mountain bike with studded tires and ride the snow-packed trails, try speed skating, snowshoeing, ice climbing, or take up cross-country skiing.

Mix up the tips and suggestions throughout the winter season. Not only will it improve your mood, but you’ll be thankful come spring when you pull out the summer clothes and find that they didn’t shrink while in storage.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

I have to admit - and I’m going to be candid with this post: I have a love-disappointment mind set about the “New Year’s Resolution Crowd.” (hate is a strong word, so I’m using disappointment)

On one hand,  I love to see new people in the gym with a new lease on fitness. It excites me to see people taking care of his/her health. I don’t mind the crowds so much because these people are getting fit. They are enthusiastic and taking steps to be healthier.

But come late January/mid February, the crowds start to thin out. I’m not sure why it happens. Perhaps they get burned out, bored, frustrated when they don’t see results after three weeks, are not sure what to do to switch up thier workouts, etc.

That’s where my disappointment comes in. I get disappointed that they didn’t stick it out and follow through with their resolution and gave a halfhearted attempt in creating a healthy lifestyle. Or they were looking for a quick fix. And when they didn’t see that quick fix work, they bailed on their resolution.

I want to encourage the folks who are feeling burned out or losing motivation to do a couple of things:

- Educate yourself about exercises and nutrition from reliable sources.

- Take baby steps to build health & fitness into your life. Don’t try to do it all at once. You’ll get overwhelmed. For example, I encourage my new clients to slowly ramp up their water intake and make it a goal to eat one cup of green vegetables each day. Each week they receive challenges that encourage behavior modification and help build healthy habits into their lifestyle.

- If you’re not sure what to do, hire a professional. If it keeps you on track, keeps you motivated, takes the intimidation out of navigating the gym, expands your exercise database, and helps build your knowledge - then it’s money well spent. I can attest to that. When I first started exercising, I thought a good workout was walking on the treadmill at a snail pace for 10 minutes, doing a couple of bicep curls, and a few sit-ups. When I didn’t see results, I hired a trainer and learned everything I could about using dumbbells and machines. I expanded my knowledge about which exercises worked different muscle groups. And the gym became my playground.

- If you can’t afford a professional for one-on-one personal training, find a group fitness class. Bootcamps are a blast! Or try a total body conditioning class. Group fitness is a great way to learn new exercises that you can build into your personal regimen. (My programs begin this Saturday and Thursday and there is still time to sign up. Click here to learn more. Scroll down to the Small Group Training section).

I’d also like to share this article from WebMD entitled Finding the Best Workout for You.

Just don’t quit!

Make your life healthy,

Janet

I received the following tips for helping make 2010 a successful year and wanted to share them with you all. I’ve identified a few that I’m going to start working on right away!

Each day, pick one from each category and practice applying it to your life.

SUCCESS HANDBOOK 2010

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray and/or meditate.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree…

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing! (It’s the hard thing)
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. God/the Universe heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank God/the Universe for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about!

Make your new year healthy,

Janet

While some of the states on the East Coast are still digging out, we’re getting ready to get hit with snow in Minnesota. Depending on which weather forecast you believe, we’ll get pounded with anywhere between 8 to 20 inches over the course of three days.

I was listening to the news on MPR last night. The forecaster stated: “I haven’t seen a weather map like this since….” My mind said: Don’t say it!”, but yup,…he said it: “Since Halloween of 1991.” Ugh. That’s an infamous snow storm that created many Midwest snow related urban legends! We got stuck in our car on a rural road in Wisconsin during that snow storm - we were traveling to Minnesota from Illinois for a visit - and had to get our car dug out the next day.

During our first winter back in Minnesota, I would call dibs on shoveling snow. (I don’t think my husband minded at all!) It was my exercise! But that got old pretty quick. Well, he’s not sure if the snow blower is going to work when he tries to fire it up later this week.  It had some mechanical issues during our storm a couple weeks ago. So I may be getting some exercise, afterall.

So, in anticipation of this snow storm that’s bringing us a beautiful Winter Wonderland :-), I would like to provide this link to an article on Web MD with tips on shoveling snow safely.

Oh, by the way - the Small Group Fitness Programs are posted on the Programs page. Click here to learn more about the adult programs (scroll down to Group Training) and here to learn about my new Fitness for Teens program.

Have a Healthy Hanakachirstmaskwanza!

Janet

Looking for healthy recipes for that leftover turkey?

Cooking Light is featuring a slide show with healthy recipes. I’m totally trying that recipe for Turkey and Prosciutto Flat Bread Pizza. Paired with a HUGE salad, of course!

And, here’s my recipe for Turkey Soup.

Janet’s No-Frills Turkey Soup

(use organic vegetables when possible)

Disclaimer: I’m an “eye-it-up” cook and tend not to measure my ingredients. So proceed with caution. However, these measurements should be pretty close to what I typically use to make an awesome turkey soup!

- 5 cups of free range chicken stock

- 1 1/2 cups water

- 3 carrots, chopped

- ¼ cup shallots

- 1 tsp rosemary

- 2 cups cooked turkey, cubed or shredded (depending on preference)

- 1 cup chopped celery

- 1 bay leaf

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- 1 tsp olive oil

Soften vegetables in large stockpot: add olive oil to a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add carrots and celery to pot and cook until they vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add shallots and rosemary and cook another 2 minutes. Add1 cup of the stock, reduce heat to low; partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the stock, water, bay leaf and turkey. Simmer for 30 minutes. Can cook for a couple of hours to let all flavors fuse together.

Additions:

Use leftover stuffing and dressing for dumplings. Warm up bread mixture. Form bread into small balls. After scooping soup into bowls, place one-two bread balls in each serving.

Turn the soup into Turkey Noodle Soup. Make pasta in a separate pot. Add to soup just before serving. (If you make the pasta in the soup, it tends to make it a bit too starchy).

Make your life healthy,

Janet

I’ve been asked this question frequently: Should I or Can I Exercise While I’m Pregnant?

The answer is a big HECK YEAH!

I’m currently working with a client who’s main motivation is to get in the best shape she can before she gets pregnant. I find that very admirable. And she doesn’t plan to stop exercising after she gets that positive pregnancy test. She’s committed to getting and staying fit! Being the fitness geek I am, that makes me all giddy!

While there are some exceptions, you can basically do pretty much everything in the terms of exercise that you were doing before you got pregnant. But, of course, you’ll need the green light from your physician.

I remember reading a story about an Olympic Skeleton racer who rode her bike to the hospital…to deliver her baby. Now, I’m not saying you’ve got to be that hard core (you won’t find me riding my bike to the hospital to deliver my baby!), but it’s still a motivating story about staying physically active during pregnancy.

Staying in shape when you’re pregnant has so many benefits:

• you’ll feel better and have more energy
• strong muscles and a great cardio capacity can make for a easier delivery, and
• because you’re off-setting those calories, exercising will make it easier to get back to that post-baby body.

In regards to nutrition, women only need about 300 calories more a day than they were consuming pre-baby. A healthy pregnancy weight gain is around 30 pounds. Being pregnant is NOT a license to eat…if you gain 50 pounds during pregnancy, don’t think for a minute that you’re going to be bringing home a 50 pound baby! The more weight that’s put on, the more weight you’ll have to bring off.

Here are two links with more information:

Mayo Clinic has a wealth of information available on its website.

The Pregnant Woman’s Guide to the Gym as published in Fit Pregnancy

And when you continue to exercise post-baby, not only will it help keep you sane and fit, but you’ll also be setting a good example for your children.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

WebMd has an interesting slide show featuring the myths and facts about back pain.

Click here to read.

Back pain is very common, but it doesn’t have to be. You can reduce back pain with staying fit, increasing your core muscle strength, and losing weight around the abdomen. In addition to the combination of those three, back pain can also be treated holistically through chiropractic care and acupuncture - of which I am a huge fan

Here is another link to an article that lists exercises to reduce lower back pain.  Be sure to click on the “what, where, why, and how” links at the bottom of the text to learn more.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

There’s a variety of nut butters: almond, brazil, cashew, hazelnut, walnut….

But my favorite (and easily available on the grocery store shelves) is almond butter. I used to be a peanut butter fan until I made the switch to almond butter and figured out that my body processed it much better than peanut butter. (Side note: Peanut butter is actually a legume such as a tomato is a fruit. Yeah, I didn’t know that until a couple years ago, either).

And then I read up on the endless health benefits of almond butter: no cholesterol or trans fats, great source of protein and Omega 3 fatty acids, rich in antioxidants, helps control blood sugar (preventing spikes), and are a good source of potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

While each person’s fat intake is different, I make sure I keep my serving to no more than one or two tablespoons per day.

Spreadable Snack Ideas:

- Measure out one tablespoon into a small dish and slice a banana on top. Toss a few chocolate chips into the mix if you’re looking for that nut butter/chocolate fix.

- Distribute a serving between the cracks of few celery sticks. Get crazy and sprinkle a few raisins on top.

- Make a half almond butter/jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread. Serve with milk.

- Slice up an apple and pair with a serving of almond butter. Use the slices to scoop up the almond butter.

- Spread over a whole grain rice cake. (I like the Honey Nut rice cakes made by Lundberg Family Farms). Add a little bit of jelly to sweeten it up. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or hot green tea for the ultimate Fall snack.

The one downside: almond butter can be expensive. But I recently discovered the almond butter machine at my local co-op. It’s a little less expensive per ounce than almond butter sold in the jar. The machine is typically located in the bulk product section, filled with raw almonds, and looks like an old fashioned appliance. There isn’t much oil extracted, which is convenient: once stored in the fridge at home, you won’t have to stir through the oil with each serving as you may with many jars.

Otherwise, you can find jars of almond butter sold along side the other nut butters. Bonus points if you can find one made without any additional ingredients, using raw almonds as it’s only source. There are also methods of making almond at home using a food processor or a machine specifically designed to make nut butters.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to consider starting your own love affair with almond butter. Mmmmm…the nutty goodness awaits……..

Make your life healthy,

Janet

The toxic side effects from BPA made headlines last year. It was found that bisphenol-A (BPA) - a compound used to make plastic products and epoxy resins - was linked to cancer, early onset of childhood puberty, and the altercation of neural activity.

To prevent exposure to BPA, many consumers made the switch from plastic water bottles to reusable aluminum water bottles. However, I just read an article in which Sigg - one of the aluminum bottle manufactures - recently admitted that the epoxy liners used in its bottles contained traces of BPA. The bottles in question were manufactured prior to 2008 and have since been redesigned, but it’s a good idea to check your stock of aluminum water bottles.

The article sent me flying into the kitchen to check out my own aluminum water bottle collection (of which I only own one as it was given to me as a gift…but I do have other BPA-free plastic bottles ). And to my relief, I found that it is a Kleen Kanteen brand.

Read more about BPA and the Sigg statement here.

For a round-up and recommendation of BPA-free bottles, click here.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

Here’s a very informative article from WebMD about foods that help keep you feel full (thus eliminating the need to snack and overeat on the unhealthy foods). Extra bonus points for the added health benefits.

Make your life healthy,

Janet